By Marita Moaje
MANILA – Southeast Asian leaders are looking into launching a temporary, online regional network to connect existing small-business programs while weighing plans for a permanent center of excellence.
At the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila on Sunday, ASEAN leaders issued the Declaration on Strengthening ASEAN Cooperation for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, directing regional economic officials to explore options for an “interim virtual regional arrangement.”
The digital setup is designed to keep the momentum going for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which make up the vast majority of businesses across the ASEAN region, while the bloc reviews an ongoing Feasibility and Scoping Study for the proposed ASEAN Center of Excellence for MSMEs (ACE-MSMEs).
“Noting that the dynamic and rapidly-evolving global economic landscape characterized by supply chain reconfigurations, technological transformation, climate change and green transition, and emerging economic security challenges requires a more innovative, coordinated, and forward-looking approach to MSME development in the region,” the declaration read, citing the need for faster, more coordinated support.
Instead of building a brand-new platform from scratch, the proposed virtual arrangement would plug directly into tools that ASEAN already runs, including the ASEAN SME Academy, ASEAN Access, and the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network.
Under the declaration, leaders tasked the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME), working through senior economic officials and economic ministers, to examine how this virtual model could handle practical tasks.
This includes coordinating with and supporting existing ASEAN MSME initiatives and platforms; improving the visibility of, and access to, ASEAN’s current MSME knowledge resources; coordinating technical assistance and capacity-building activities; mobilizing partnerships with Dialogue and Development Partners, international organizations, academia, and the private sector; and carrying out preparatory groundwork for the ACE-MSMEs, should member states eventually decide to establish it.
Alongside exploring the virtual option, officials must draft a roadmap with detailed timelines, governance rules, roles, and full life-cycle costs based on the feasibility study.
“Any new arrangements, including the interim virtual regional arrangement, shall be subject to Member States’ agreement and supported by a clearly defined mandate and transparent governance arrangements that safeguard institutional neutrality and ensure inclusive participation and equitable access to services and opportunities for all ASEAN Member States,” the declaration read.
ASEAN leaders noted that long-term funding shall be assessed, and adequate and sustainable financing secured, before implementation.
“No new mandatory financial obligations shall arise for Member States without their separate agreement,” it said. (PNA)
